This invention relates generally to duplicating apparatus and more particularly to a portable duplicating device which may be used with any commercially available photocopy machine to provide two-dimensional copies of two or three-dimensional objects to the approximate scale of the objects.
Common commercially available photocopy machines are limited to reproducing acceptable copies of two-dimensional flat objects or sheets of paper. Quite often it is desirable to provide two-dimensional elevational or plan views of three-dimensional objects for engineering, production, research and development, or fax transmittal purposes, and currently this must be done by hand or with computer aided design equipment. It would be very beneficial, both from a cost and time standpoint, if the various sides of a three-dimensional object could be quickly reproduced in two-dimensional sheet form using any commercially available photocopy machine.
Prior art U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,454,210 and 4,575,215 illustrate special copying apparatus intended for use in the medical field to produce reproductions of three-dimensional body parts and organs. However, the apparatus there described is complicated, awkward and messy and has no practical use in the common work place environment.